Caught in the Middle
by Chrystallized
Summary: The Davis siblings were neither greasers nor Socs. They were in between, the middle class citizens. But when they meet Ponyboy and the gang on the East side of town, they're pulled into the vicious feud between the two groups. [DISCONTINUED]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I had an urge to write a story based on _The Outsiders_, and because I like the romantic stuff, there will be romance in this story. This is an AU fic; the events that occur within the plot of the original story did not happen in this story, however, everything mentioned in the book that took place prior to the story did happen, like Johnny getting jumped by the Socs and the Curtis' parents dying in a car wreck. Ponyboy and the gang haven't met Cherry Valance or Marcia, Dally and Johnny are still alive along with Bob Sheldon, and the big rumble between the Socs and greasers hasn't happened quite yet. Also, if you find any errors I made, whether grammatical or in relation to the book, feel free to let me know.**

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><p>Bri Davis was hiding in a dark alleyway. She should have been home already, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to curl up and disappear. A few hours ago, everything was fine. She was just talking a walk, but she'd let her mind wander. Before she knew it, she had gone over to a dangerous part of town. And she was alone.<p>

If she had realized it earlier, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. When she came back to her senses, she started to make her way home, but a group of really drunken men staggered out of the building she was walking by and blocked her path. They spotted her said a few things, most of which didn't make any sense. Then they began to close in around her. Bri had to run, but one man grabbed her arm. She yanked her arm out of his grip and shoved the man. It didn't do much except make him angry. He slammed her against the brick wall of the building, knocking her head against the side. Everything started to get a bit fuzzy. Bri remembered them abusing her more; shoving and kicking her around when she fell. She resisted them as best she could by pushing them away and even hitting them back. The same man who had knocked her head crouched in front of her, and made her look at him. When Bri turned her head away, he smacked her and turned her face back. Bri suddenly came to the conclusion that since these men were drunk, they probably wouldn't care what they did to her, and at the moment, they could do whatever they wanted. Maybe even kill her. The thought sent her adrenaline rushing. Fear gripped her heart. She wasn't much a fighter, but she swung a fist and made contact with the man's jaw. The group broke in confusion as he clutched at his face. That's when she ran.

Somehow, Bri ended up in the alley, crying and hugging her knees to her chest. She was in shock. Hopefully it was just a terrible nightmare. Maybe she was safe in bed, asleep, and she would wake up soon. But Bri knew better. The experience was all too real and traumatizing. She could've spent hours crying there for all she knew.

At some point, she heard people talking, and footsteps nearing the alleyway. Since Bri had no energy left to run, she shut her eyes tight and braced herself. The voices sounded teenagers.

"Look over there!" one voice said. Bri heard the footsteps running hurriedly, getting closer, but she didn't dare move.

"Hey," the voice said softly, much closer. "You all right?"

"Soda, look, her head's bleeding!" another voice exclaimed.

_It is?_ Bri thought. Probably because her head had smack the wall so hard.

"Gosh, that's quite a lot of blood," the first voice commented. Bri was starting to get a little nauseous. She listened to the people's voices having a quiet conversation.

"We ought to take her back."

"What about Darry?"

"Oh, he'll be all right with it. Besides, if we don't do anything, she could die. And we can't walk to the hospital, it's too far."

"But she looks like a Soc."

Suddenly, Bri coughed and spluttered, startling the two teenagers. She opened her eyes, and could barely make out their faces. They didn't look threatening. Both had long hair, one with gold hair, and the other with reddish-brown hair. They had also mentioned something about her being a Soc, but before she could think about the subject more, she closed her eyes again and passed out.

Bri woke up on a couch, and for a moment, she thought she was back at her house. Then memories of what had happened came rushing back. She jerked upright, and held her head in her hands, wincing at the pain. Once the pain subsided and she could see normally, Bri checked her surroundings. No, it wasn't the house she lived in with her aunt and uncle and older brother. But she was too delirious to observe much more than just that.

She heard someone say, "She's awake!" and turned to see the two boys from the previous night, and someone else who looked older than the two. He was tall, muscular, and quite scary, the way his eyes were, cold and unfriendly. The blonde boy came up to her and started to ask questions, but the oldest one told him to calm down, while the youngest simply stood there, watching.

"My name's Sodapop," the blonde boy said. "Call me Soda. This here's my big brother Darry and my kid brother Ponyboy. Our last name's Curtis." He gestured to the other two. _Soda and Ponyboy? _Bri thought. Those were odd names. "What's your name?"

Bri hesitated, but the boy was so happy and carefree that she couldn't hold any suspicions against him. "Brielle. Or just Bri."

"How old are ya?"

"Sixteen."

Sodapop nodded. "Sorry we brought you here," he continued. "It probably freaked you out to be in a stranger's house. But you looked bad, so when Ponyboy and I found ya we brought you back and tried to fix your head."

"My head…?" Bri gingerly felt the side of her head where she hit the wall. It was bruised, and it hurt to touch it. She winced again, and brought her hand down. That's when she noticed her clothes. The skirt of her dress was torn on the side, and there were a few dark stains, possibly blood. Her hair fell in front of her shoulders in a tangled mess. She was missing her shoes, and Bri could see that her feet were dirty.

"Golly, I'm a mess, aren't I?" she wondered aloud.

"Shoot, we've seen worse," Sodapop said cheerfully. "You ain't so bad."

Bri wanted to smile, but scenes from the night before flashed in her mind. How could she have been so stupid? In her head, she could see the men's faces jeering at her, threatening her, and hitting her. She hadn't thought that it something like this could happen. Oh Lord…

"Whoa," Soda said. "Come on now, don't cry."

Bri touched her face and felt her fingers get wet with her tears. She hastily wiped them away and sniffled. "Sorry…" she whispered quietly.

Just then, the front door swung open and everyone turned. Bri jumped at the noise. A guy with long sideburns stood in the door way, grinning like mad. "Morning!" he called happily, and waltzed right inside, leaving the door open behind him.

"Gee, Two-Bit," Sodapop said. "Pipe down a bit, you're gonna scare our guest away."

The guy named Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow. "Guest, huh?' His eyes landed on Bri. "This little lady? How she end up here? She shouldn't be in this neighborhood."

"Her name's Bri," Ponyboy said. "Soda and I found her in an alleyway, all beat up and stuff. We brought her home and Darry helped us when we tried to fix her head wound."

"You slept through the whole thing," Soda told Bri. "You sure are a heavy sleeper."

Bri didn't respond. Instead, she stared at her hands. Two-Bit got another look at her and said, "Wow, she sure is scratched up."

It was true. Bri's hands and arms were covered in scrapes and bruises, and dried blood smeared like red-brown patches on her skin. She could hear Sodapop and Ponyboy explain to Two-Bit the events of last night, but it seemed like it was coming from far away.

Bri snapped out of her daze when Darry called her. She looked up at him, and he asked, "You got someone you can call to come pick you up? You're parents must be worried sick."

She didn't mention that her parents were gone and her aunt and uncle were the ones taking care of her and her older brother Anthony. It wasn't something she liked to talk about. She just gave Darry the number and told her that her brother would be picking up the phone. Bri wasn't in the mood to start talking so much, and knowing her brother, there would most likely be a lot of questions to answer. Darry spoke with Anthony on the phone for a little while. When he hung up, Darry told Bri that Anthony would be coming over.

"Wait, isn't your brother a—" Two-Bit began, but Soda interrupted him.

"You gonna be okay Bri?" he asked her. "You look pale."

"It's probably the shock," Ponyboy suggested. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Bri didn't want to relive it, but she figured that keeping it to herself would kill her. Quietly, she told them the story, and watched their faces carefully. She was glad they weren't making a big deal out of it; it might've stressed her out more.

"That must be rough for you," Soda said sympathetically.

Two-Bit nodded. "A little girl like you shouldn't be out on the streets."

"She's sixteen," Ponyboy pointed out. "Not too little."

"Really?" Two-Bit looked at Bri. "The way you look now, all shaken up and wide-eyed from the beatin', you could be fourteen or something like Ponyboy here."

"You callin' me little?" Ponyboy asked in mock accusation.

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow, but he grinned. "Maybe I am."

Darry had made breakfast for them, but Bri didn't move from the couch. She didn't want to eat. They told her it would help, but she just didn't have an appetite. As the boys ate, they heard a car pull up in front of the house. Someone knocked on the door. Darry answered it, and there was Anthony.

"Bri!" He completely disregarded Darry and ran straight toward her. When he saw her cuts and scrapes, he was immediately angry. "Who did this? I'm going to kill those no good…" He continued to use every rude name he could think of.

The rest of the group all had a look of astonishment on their faces. Anthony noticed them staring and snapped, "What?"

"_You're_ this girl's brother?" Two-Bit asked incredulously. "We thought you were gonna be a Soc!"

"What the hell are you on about?" Anthony asked with irritation in his voice.

"The rich kids on the West side!" Two-Bit explained.

"Rich kids?" Anthony looked at Two-Bit strangely. "Where'd you get that? We ain't rich."

"Well you're sister dresses like it." Two-Bit looked at Bri. So did Anthony.

"She likes to dress nice, so what? I dress like this, what's so wrong with that?"

Two-Bit looked at the guys like, _Is he for real?_ They all looked confused too. Bri and Anthony were different in a lot of ways, including the way they dressed. Bri like to look presentable, and she'd gotten a lot of new clothes from her aunt. Anthony didn't care much for his appearance, but he did take a liking to things that Aunt Sadie and Uncle Charles thought made him look like a hood (and sometimes, Bri wondered if Anthony was actually part of a gang). They didn't mind so much though. To them, it didn't matter.

"Sorry," Anthony said, jamming his hands in his pockets. "I should calm down. But Bri—" he turned to her—"what happened?"

It was then that Bri realized she was trembling. She couldn't manage more than just a few words. Luckily, Ponyboy and Soda covered for her. Anthony had a dark look in his eyes when they told him the story. He placed a hand on Bri's shoulder and looked her straight in the eye.

"Bri…" he said softly. "Oh Lordy…did that really happen?"

She nodded in response, and she felt the tears well up again.

"One of them slammed her head against the wall," Darry informed Anthony. "She was bleeding like crazy. We tried to clean it up the best we could, but that was all. If the hospital wasn't so far away, we might have taken her there instead."

Anthony felt the side of Bri's head where the wound was. It didn't hurt her when his fingers grazed the skin; Anthony was good at being careful when she got hurt. He said some comforting words that relaxed her, and she stopped shaking. She took a deep breath and swallowed.

"I never thought this would happen to you," Anthony told Bri. "Of all people. You'd never hurt a fly if you could help it." He sighed, and helped Bri get to her feet. "Anyway, I should thank you guys for saving my kid sister."

"Shoot," said Two-Bit. "Thank Pony and Soda over there; they're the ones who found her."

Anthony nodded. "I owe you two."

"Naw, it was nothing," Sodapop said, grinning. "You get well now, Bri, all right?"

Bri smiled a little, and followed her brother to the car. As they drove away, Bri looked back at the house and the rest of the neighborhood. It didn't look too well off. This was probably the poorer side of town. Anthony and she didn't live on the rich side exactly, nor this side of town. As they pulled out, Bri could hear someone yelling from one of the houses. The anger in the voice made her cringe. Bri and Anthony continued the trip home in silence for a while.

"Man, I never thought I could feel as scared as I did when mom and dad died," Anthony said in the middle of the drive.

Bri tried to not get hurt when Anthony mentioned their parents. They hadn't died in the best ways (what _would_ be the best way to die?) and the story of it haunted her for weeks. When Anthony was born, mom and dad didn't take care of him very well. They mostly left him with Aunt Sadie and Uncle Charles. Mom and dad hadn't planned on having a kid, so they thought they could dump him somewhere else if they wanted. Then mom got pregnant again with Bri when Anthony was two, so their parents had another kid to worry about. Apparently, it ruined their lives, and dad had practically hated the two of them. He died before Bri turned four after crashing the car while driving drunk. Mom committed suicide out of the devastation, and to get out of raising the two kids on her own. Dead or alive, it hurt to know your parents didn't care for you.

Anthony continued. "I kept thinking things like, what are they going to do? What's going to happen to us?"

"I get what you mean," Bri said in a small voice.

"I won't always be around to help you, kiddo," Anthony said matter-of-factly. "Last night was proof of that." Anthony glanced at her, then said, "You know I won't be able to rest easy if I have you walk around town alone like that again, right?"

Bri nodded. "I don't wanna walk on my own anymore now."

Anthony smiled. "You wanna go back and see 'em, don't you?" he asked.

She only stared at him in surprise, and Anthony chuckled.

"You oughta give them a proper thank you," he explained. "Don't ya think?"

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><p><strong>AN: Just to be clear, Anthony isn't exactly a greaser and Bri isn't a Soc. They just look like it. But Anthony does adopt some of the gang's habits along the way, once he and Bri start hanging out with them. Anthony sort of has a story of his own. I'll get to that later, though, all in due time. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

A week later, after Bri had calmed down enough not to jump at every little sound she heard, she and Anthony were getting ready to head back to the Curtis house. The morning after Ponyboy and Soda found her, they had gotten home after Aunt Sadie went to the grocery store and Uncle Charles went to work, so Bri cleaned herself up as best she could before they came home again. Bri changed her clothes, and every day after that she made sure that her sleeves and skirt covered up the damage and her hair hid the bruise on her head. Ironically, her face didn't have much evidence of being beat, so she didn't need to worry about that.

"Will you be home for dinner?" Aunt Sadie asked before Bri and Anthony left the house.

"Not sure," Anthony answered. "But if it doesn't take too long we'll just grab something to eat on the way back."

"Okay," Aunt Sadie said. "Be careful. I'll make something and leave it in the fridge for you two just in case. Call if something comes up."

"Got it!" Anthony called as they closed the door behind them. "Let's go," he said to Bri.

When they pulled up in front of the house, Anthony convinced Bri to talk to them on her own. He leaned against the car and waiting as she walked up to the door and knocked. Ponyboy answered the door, and his eyebrows rose when he saw her.

"You're back?" he asked her.

Bri nodded nervously. "Are your brothers home too?"

Ponyboy called Sodapop and Darry over, and Bri thanked them for helping her like they did, stumbling over her words a bit. When she finished, Soda said, "Is that why you came all the way here? Just to thank us? Aw come on now, it was no big deal."

"It was to me," Bri told them.

"You know," Soda began, "we have the gang over right now and we're gonna have dinner soon. Why don't ya join us?"

Bri blinked. "Um… Anthony's waiting outside, so—"

"He can stay too!" Soda insisted happily. Bri tried to protest, but Soda asked Darry, "We can have 'em over, right?"

Bri thought that Darry was bound to say no, but he just shrugged his approval and walked back inside. Soda walked out towards Anthony to try and get him to stay for dinner, leaving Ponyboy in the doorway. While Soda and Anthony talked, someone from inside the house yelled, "Hey, who's that you're talking to, Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy and Bri looked to see Two-Bit staring back at them from the couch. "It's Bri," Ponyboy answered.

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow. He grinned when he recognized her. "Hey, little lady! You sure look different when you're not all beat up."

Bri tried to smile in spite of herself. In the living room, she could see three other boys she hadn't met yet. Soda came back with Anthony and announced that Bri and Anthony were staying for dinner.

"Here, I'll introduce you to everyone else," Sodapop offered, pointing out to her each one of the boys. "This here's my buddy Steve, that's Dally, and over there's Johnny." After the introductions, one of the gang, Dally, stood up and scrutinized Bri's face.

"She's a Soc," he speculated. "What's she doing here?"

"Relax, Dally, she don't mean any harm," Soda assured him. "She was in trouble when Ponyboy and I met her, so we helped her out. Oh yeah, and that's her brother Anthony." Soda pointed out Bri's brother, who had just come in through the door, and Dally, Steve, and Johnny appeared completely baffled. "Yeah, we were like that too." Soda glanced over at Two-Bit, who just smiled.

"Hey, it's not every day you see a Socy girl with a greaser brother," Two-Bit stated with a shrug. Anthony spoke up to argue, and he and Two-Bit went at it for awhile. Dally mumbled something that Bri couldn't understand, Steve was talking to Sodapop, Darry was making dinner, and Johnny and Ponyboy just stood next to each other, not saying very much at all. Bri felt out of place. She just stood by the wall and stared at the television screen, not really paying attention to what she was watching. Someone snapped their fingers in front of her face, and Bri flinched like someone just smacked her.

"Oh, so you're still a bit jumpy." Two-Bit was standing in front of her. "And here I thought you just got over it quick."

"Don't mess with her like that," Anthony snapped, walking up to her. "She was traumatized from that whole thing, you know. This past week she'd been a nervous wreck."

"Really?" Ponyboy cut in. Bri hadn't noticed that he and Johnny were right next to them. He looked at Bri. "Have you been okay?" She just nodded.

"Don't talk very much, do you?" Two-Bit asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or was that just after the incident?"

"Shoot, she's always been quiet," Anthony remarked. "She thinks too much."

He chuckled and messed up Bri's hair at the top. When she tried fixing it, she put too much pressure on the bruise, winced and clutched her head in pain.

Two-Bit whistled. "Wow, that brick wall sure did a lot of damage." Anthony shoved him. Two-Bit shoved him back. They went on wrestling for a bit, until Anthony was pushed into Bri, who lost her balance and fell over. Before she hit the ground, someone had caught her. Bri looked up and saw that the boy named Johnny was holding her to keep her from falling to the floor. She couldn't even get herself to say sorry to him. He and Ponyboy helped her up, and Anthony made sure she was okay before apologizing.

"Sorry Bri," he said. "Didn't mean to knock you over."

"Hey, food's ready!" Darry called from the kitchen, and everyone went over to eat.

After dinner, Dally left first, then Two-Bit. The rest of them, minus Darry, hung out in the living room. Anthony talked with Steve and Sodapop. Bri sat with Ponyboy and Johnny. None of them said much. Sodapop and Anthony tried to get the three of them into whatever conversation they were having with Steve, but they couldn't get more than a few words out of them. Anthony then suggested that they get going, and he called Bri to follow him out

"Ya'll should come by again," Soda told Anthony, patting him on the back. "It's been fun having you around, even though we hardly know ya."

Anthony shrugged. "We might pass by the DX station, or something."

"See ya," Steve said.

As they got into the car, Anthony turned to Bri. "You know, those guys were friendly. I didn't think they'd treat us like they did. Normally groups like that don't warm up to strangers so quick."

Bri titled her head. "Groups like that?"

"They're a family. You could see in the way they'd mess around and talk to one another. One big family." Anthony started the car and drove towards home.

"I think it was because you fit right in," Bri decided, smiling at Anthony. "You look like them. Act like them sort of too. Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit like you just fine."

"Maybe." Anthony thought for a moment. "They all talked about the Socs. Soda said he and Pony thought you was one of them rich girls on the West side of town. Then they saw me and it completely canceled their theory."

"Aunt Sadie spoils me with clothes," Bri noted. "So, those boys, they're all greasers aren't they? The ones that start up all the trouble in town?"

Anthony shook his head. "They _are_ greasers, and yeah, some of them do cause a bit of trouble. But those Soc guys are always jumping them. Steve and Soda said that they cause just as much trouble as any hood."

"I suppose you couldn't be a lawbreaker like them, though, 'cause Aunt Sadie and Uncle Charles would bury you alive," Bri teased.

"Oh shut it," Anthony said, but he grinned. "Aunt Sadie and Uncle Charles don't know half the stuff I get into. And you shouldn't either, for that matter."

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><p>When Bri and Anthony left, Steve figured he should get going too, since it was getting a bit late.<p>

"You'll be staying here, Johnny?" Ponyboy asked.

Johnny nodded. "My parents got in this huge argument and my mom won't even let me inside the house."

Soda gave Johnny a pat on the back. "It's all right buddy, you know can always stay here we you need to." He walked down the hall and out of sight.

Ponyboy sighed, and sat down in front of the TV, and Johnny seated himself on the couch. For a while, none of them spoke. Then Ponyboy broke the silence.

"So what do you think about Bri and Anthony being siblings and all? Seems strange, doesn't it?"

"Sure does." Johnny leaned back on the couch, staring at the cartoon they'd left on. "I thought for sure she was a Soc and she'd brought some buddies to mess with us. Figured one of us had bothered her some. But her face didn't seem angry or none. She looked…kinda scared, guess 'cause we're greasers and all."

"Can't imagine her being angry at anything," Ponyboy admitted. "I mean, when we found her in the alleyway she was scared half to death, and after that she'd hardly say anything."

"Found her in an alley?" Johnny asked.

Ponyboy remembered that Johnny didn't know about Bri yet, so he told the story of how he and Soda found her. Ponyboy didn't mention that Bri reminded him of Johnny that night a few months ago, beaten and afraid. Johnny's face hardened as Ponyboy relayed the events.

"Drunk men," he muttered. "People do all sorts of things when they're drunk."

Ponyboy just nodded grimly. "Could've beaten her to death, and they might have too. She's lucky she ran when she did."

"You ever seen her smile? Even with Sodapop around all she did was stare at the floor."

"Maybe she's still shaken up." Ponyboy shrugged. Sodapop's smile was usually contagious, especially with girls. "After all, she's not really a tough girl. With a brother like Anthony it's strange that she's so nervous like that."

"I bet her smile's awful pretty," Johnny mumbled to himself absentmindedly.

"You say something, Johnny?" Ponyboy turned to him, but Johnny was looking away.

"Nothing."

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><p><strong>AN: So, looks like the gang is warming up to the Davis siblings quite nicely, haha. Anthony is the social one though; Bri mostly keeps to herself, but I suppose that's obvious already. And Anthony has some sort of a "secret life," possibly as a troublemaker.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, I dunno if it's just me, but Fanfiction wouldn't let me log in for a while, but now I can get this uploaded. Yay! Ahaha, hope this chapter's enjoyable for ya'll.**

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><p>"You heading out to hang with Ponyboy and that other kid?" Anthony called at Bri as she ran about the house getting ready.<p>

"His name's Johnny," Bri replied, giving an accusing look at her brother. "All this time and you still don't know his name?"

It had been a month since Bri and Anthony's first meeting with the gang. Anthony had gotten along just fine with the whole group. Bri, however, was too timid to try and socialize, and at first she mostly came along because of Anthony. Then Sodapop and Ponyboy started trying to get to know her, and eventually she opened up to them. She had gotten over the experience of being beaten by a group of drunk men, even though the memory of it made her shudder. Later on, she became more outspoken with the boys, and many in the gang had gotten into the habit of calling her "little lady." Bri didn't spend much of her time with them, usually just Anthony was with them, but they were still her friends nonetheless. She even got along okay with Dally around, though they never talked.

"Yeah, I know his name," Anthony said, messing up Bri's hair. "I was joking. Let's go, I'll drive you to the Dairy Queen."

Anthony dropped off Bri at the Dairy Queen shop, and Bri saw that Ponyboy and Johnny were already inside. She went in and greeted them, then sat down at the side of their table. Bri had come to expect the strange looks people would give when people saw her sitting down with greasers. It wasn't something she liked, but it was inevitable. People just went by looks. She and her brother were middle class residents, not too poor, but not rich. The way they dressed led people to believe otherwise: that Anthony was a greaser and Bri was a Soc. But middle class residents weren't involved much in the feud between the greasers and Socs, and they didn't _want_ to be involved either. It was just Bri and Anthony who associated themselves with the gang.

Johnny and Ponyboy both said hi, and continued eating their cones. Bri didn't feel like eating anything, so she waited for them to finish. Finally, Ponyboy asked if they wanted to go see a movie.

"Sure I don't mind," said Bri.

"Sounds good to me," Johnny agreed.

As they walked, Ponyboy and Johnny were on either side of Bri. Everyone knew about Johnny being the gang's kid brother, and how the gang protected him. But everyone except Bri knew that the gang was protective of her too. Maybe it was because she was Anthony's kid sister that made them want to protect her, since Anthony was their buddy. Bri wasn't as close to the group to be like what Johnny was to them, and they often linked her with Anthony. They also protected her because she wasn't tough; if something happened, she couldn't defend herself, since she wouldn't know what to do. It wasn't liked she spent much time on the streets.

The movie house was nearly empty when they got there, so the three of them took seats in the back row, with Johnny in between Ponyboy and Bri, and Bri sitting in the aisle seat. Ponyboy and Johnny watched the movie attentively, but Bri had fallen asleep halfway through. Her head lolled a bit before resting on Johnny's shoulder. Johnny flinched, then realized it was only Bri. Tentatively, he tapped her arm to get her attention, but when she didn't respond, it was clear to him that she was sleeping. In slight panic, Johnny nudged Ponyboy and gestured to Bri as if to say, _What do I do?_ Ponyboy stared wide-eyed at Bri and Johnny, and shrugged helplessly.

Johnny was tense for the rest of the movie. He didn't want to disturb Bri, but it felt strange with her head on his shoulder. Johnny never came into much contact with girls after the things that Steve told him. He didn't mind Bri very much, she wasn't a greasy girl or anything; he couldn't understand why he was so anxious. At least it was only Ponyboy with them. Had it been anyone else in the gang, Johnny would never hear the end of it.

When the movie ended, the video shut off and the lights went on. Bri's eyes fluttered open, and she squinted to adjust to the brightness. Then she realized her head was on Johnny's shoulder, and instantly sat up straight.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to—"

"Never mind that," Johnny cut in quickly, a bit harsher than he'd intended.

Bri shut her mouth immediately and turned away, embarrassed. Johnny was tempted to console her; he hadn't meant to make her feel bad.

"Well," Ponyboy said, standing up, "we best get going. No sense hanging around after the movie's done." He shot an almost uneasy glance at Johnny before passing by them and walking out. Bri hurried after, and Johnny trailed behind.

On the walk home, they didn't even talk about the movie at all, just walked along, kicking pebbles. Ponyboy noticed the tension between Johnny and Bri; they walked on either side of him and hadn't even bothered looking at each other. _What's with them? _he thought. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he figured it out: Johnny wasn't too comfortable with having a girl touch him, even if it was just Bri. Maybe it was because she reminded him of a classy Soc girl, or maybe it was because they never spoke much to each other and were sort of awkward when they did. Bri and Johnny didn't exactly get each other like Pony and him. Whatever the reason, it made Johnny more nervous, and when Bri tried to apologize, he unintentionally snapped at her. Bri was sensitive though, so she was hurt by it. If it was anyone else but Johnny, Bri might have just furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and frowned. No one knew why, but Bri was apprehensive when it came to Johnny, like he scared her or something, which was hard to understand because Johnny was the least threatening in the gang.

"Hey, Ponyboy?" Bri asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Do you think we can all go to the park for a bit? I don't wanna go home just yet."

"Yeah we'll go," Ponyboy replied, calling Johnny to come with them.

The park was quiet and calm, just the way the three of them preferred it to be. They found a bench to sit on, and Ponyboy and Johnny both lit up their cigarettes. Bri sat on the other end of the bench and turned away. She didn't like smoke.

A few hours passed before Two-Bit and Dally showed up behind them, catching Johnny and Ponyboy and headlocks and startling Bri into jumping out of her seat. Ponyboy and Johnny struggled a bit before they were let go. Dally messed up Johnny's hair and Two-Bit went and patted Bri on the shoulder.

"So how ya doing, little lady?" he asked with a crooked smile. "These greasers here bothering you? Want us to scare 'em off?"

Bri smiled. "Nearly gave me a heart attack, Two-Bit."

"Ya'll must be the three musketeers or something," Two-Bit remarked. "You, Pony, and Johnnycake are always together nowadays."

"Not always—" Bri tried to correct Two-Bit, but Dally cut in.

"So what're you guys doin' here?" Dally asked, getting a cigarette from Johnny and lightning it.

"Just hanging. What about you two?" Ponyboy asked in response. "Tryin' to hunt down some action?"

Dally shrugged indifferently. "Got into a fight with Shepard again. Nothing big."

"Look who's coming," Johnny warned, gesturing towards another group walking towards them across the grass. Socs. And there were quite a few of them. Dally cursed.

"How many?" Dally asked.

"Seven," Two-Bit said, his hand reaching for his switchblade. That made sense; there were only five of them, and Bri wasn't even a fighter. Socs hardly stuck around for fair fights.

"Why are they here?" Ponyboy asked anxiously. "They should be on the West side."

Two-Bit shrugged. "Never know. If they're real angry, nothing matters to them except jumping us. This park ain't too public, either. Plus, it's going to get dark soon. They could get away with it."

The Socs stopped in front of them, sneering. Their faces were cold and mean. One of them smirked at Bri, making her flinch. Her eyes were wide. The gang had sensed her fear and were immediately guarded.

"Whaddya want?" Two-Bit demanded.

The guy who looked like the leader curled his lip in distaste. His eyes landed on Bri, and he laughed. "What's a girl like you doing around hoods like them?" he asked without friendliness. He took a step toward her, but the gang shielded her away. "You looking for a fight, greasers?"

"You came over," Dally said coldly. "If ya'll wanna fight, go ahead and we'll give it to ya."

That's when they charged. Four Socs came in and grabbed onto Dally, Two-Bit, Ponyboy and Johnny, and pushed them back. Then the other three went in and grabbed Bri. One of them held her wrists behind her back while the other two quickly went back to the fight Dally, who was already landing on his opponent pretty hard. Bri's captor, who she recognized as the leader of the Soc group, clamped his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream. He had rings on his finger, and the cold metal pressed against her lips. She could smell the alcohol coming from him.

"You better shut it," he growled, "or things will get messy with your friends over there." The way he said it sent chills up her spine.

The odds were in the greasers' favor. Two of the Socs lay on the ground, writhing in pain. Dally knocked one out cold with a punch, and Two-Bit had slashed another on the arm. When the Socs were all down, groaning and half-conscious, the four greasers turned to the lead Soc, who still had Bri struggling against his hands. As panicked as she was, Bri could see just how angry they were. Johnny's face caught her attention. He seemed to be shaking a little, and the look on his face scared Bri so much she closed her eyes.

The leader of the group stared at the greasers with hatred. Much to everyone's shock, instead of letting Bri go, he took out a knife and held it to her neck. Bri whimpered fearfully and tears welled in her eyes. She heard the Soc say, "Come any closer and the girl gets it."

"What's he gonna do?" Ponyboy whispered. "He won't kill her, will he?"

Dally snorted. "He's drunk like the rest of 'em. He doesn't know what he's doing."

"So, what, we just stand around and wait for something to fall on his head?" Two-Bit asked incredulously.

Just then, someone tackled the Soc from behind and he and Bri fell to the ground. The Soc immediately got up and looked around wildly for his attacker, who turned out to be Anthony. Sodapop, Darry, and Steve all came running up. Anthony swung a punch at the Soc and got him straight in the jaw. The Soc's buddies were getting up now, but they weren't in any condition to fight back. When they saw the lead Soc making a run for it, they all followed after, with Two-Bit, Soda, Dally, and Steve chasing at their heels. Darry ran over to Ponyboy and Johnny and asked if they were okay. Anthony was already at Bri's side, helping her sit up. His face was full of worry and he was mumbling "not again" over and over. The rest of the gang came back and they all gathered around Bri and Anthony. Dally was cursing out the Socs under his breath.

"Hey, little lady," Sodapop said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You're gonna be okay," Anthony said soothingly, stroking her hair. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than her. Why did it always have to be Bri? "It's gonna be okay."

"I can't believe they pulled a blade on her," Two-Bit said bitterly. "I don't give a hang if they were drunk, you never bring the girls into it."

"She's gotten sliced right there on her collarbone," Darry said, pointing out a long red line peeking through a tear in Bri's blouse. Anthony got out a handkerchief and pressed it to her wound. She gasped in pain, but held her tears back.

Bri didn't look too good. Her face was ghostly white, and her eyes were wide and bloodshot. She shook in Anthony's arms and took uneven, ragged breaths. Her fists were clenched tightly. The group tried speaking to her, but she didn't respond.

"It was him," Johnny spoke up suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. "The one with rings. That was him." He didn't have to say it outright, but the whole gang knew at that moment: the Soc who pulled a blade on Bri was the same guy who gave Johnny his scar.

"What?" Dally snarled. He got up, but Darry stopped him. "Johnny, why didn't ya say nothing? I would've beaten that Soc so hard." Dally went on to use every profanity word in the book.

"Dally, cool it, it's not the right time," Darry said sternly. "We'll get them later."

"Damn right we will!" Dally yelled, and bolted off.

Almost right afterwards, Bri closed her eyes and slumped in Anthony's arms. He shook her a bit. "Bri? You okay?"

Her eyes were still closed, but she nodded. "I should…really stay away from drunk people, huh Anthony?" she asked her brother groggily.

"Oh, shut up," Aden scolded her. But he was relieved she was okay. "Since when do you make wisecracks? I think you spend too much time around Two-Bit."

The group gave a grudging laugh, and, even in her current condition, Bri smiled. She sighed, then coughed.

"I want…sleep," she muttered tiredly, and sank into a slumber.

Anthony shook his head in disbelief. "What am I gonna do with you, kid?" He looked up at Johnny. "You said that Soc was the same one who jumped you before?"

Johnny nodded silently, setting his jaw. He stared at Bri with an expression that the gang couldn't quite place. It was almost apologetic, but it was a bit angry too.

Anthony thought about saying that he might know who it was—he recognized the guy when he punched his face—but he figured that he'd tell them later. The matter at hand was getting Bri safe back at their house. If he covered her with his jacket, Aunt Sadie and Uncle Charles wouldn't know about the cut and he could just say she'd fallen asleep in the car. Deciding on his plan, Anthony carried Bri and stood up.

"I'll get her home then, guys," he told the gang. "See you tomorrow."

They said their goodbyes, and Anthony left with, headed for home. Next time Anthony saw Bob Sheldon, he was gonna have a bone to pick with him.

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><p><strong>AN: Yeup. So Anthony knows that the guy who cut his sister was Bob. Oh, and the park where they were attacked is the same park in the original book where Johnny and Ponyboy were attacked. Poor Bri. It's not even the fifth chapter and she's already been attacked twice. Hahaha, then again, it's about five weeks later than the first time. Well, that's all I have this time. Thanks for reading, au revoir!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter kind of took me a while because I wrote about half of it on scrap notebook paper during my classes and I had to put it all together and edit. Hope this chapter's all right; I think I may have slacked off a bit on this one.**

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><p>Bri woke up to a knock on her bedroom door. <em>Anthony must have brought me here last night, <em>she thought. She got up sleepily and went to open the door. It was Aunt Sadie.

"Breakfast is ready, sweetheart," Aunt Sadie told her. "Anthony explained to us that you fell asleep on the way home last night. Go get ready and come out to eat, all right?"

"Okay." Bri rubbed her eyes. She closed the door after Aunt Sadie left and got dressed. Before she went to the kitchen, she went to the bathroom to wash her face. Bri noticed the long cut on her collarbone that she wasn't aware of the night before. _The blade must have slipped, _she thought. Being held hostage by the Soc still spooked her, but she could handle it better this time. Her thoughts didn't scatter like they did before; she could keep her emotions under control.

When she got to the kitchen, she noticed Anthony wasn't sitting at his usual spot on the table. It was just Uncle Charles, flipping through the newspaper with hardly any interest in whatever it was he was looking at. Aunt Sadie came in with a plate of waffles and set it on the table.

"Where's Anthony?" Bri asked as she sat down. Anthony was normally wolfing down his breakfast in the morning.

"He left early," Uncle Charles replied, flipping another page of the newspaper. "Must have been urgent, too, because he didn't stop to have breakfast, just grabbed his stuff and left."

Bri thought about that as she ate. It must be serious if Anthony skipped a meal. He almost never skips a meal, not counting that time he was sick and couldn't even make it to the table. She wondered if it had anything to do about the Socs last night. Was he going to tell the gang?

Once she finished breakfast, Bri decided to go out on the porch for some fresh air. She stared at the clouds, the trees, pretty much anything. It reminded her of a time when she was sitting out in front of the Curtis' house with Ponyboy. Anthony, Two-Bit, and Soda were wrestling outside, not paying attention to the two. Bri and Anthony had already been good friends of the gang, and they could all talk comfortably with each other.

Ponyboy was a nice kid, smart too. Quiet though, a complete opposite of Sodapop's bright and hyper personality. Darry was the guardian, tough and protective. Two-Bit's jokes were highly amusing (though sometimes they didn't make sense) and he was so light-hearted you just couldn't be angry with him. Steve was a little hubristic, but he was a real good friend of Soda's and besides the cockiness there wasn't too much to dislike about him. Dally was the type who liked breaking the rules, but he had plenty of street smarts from his experiences in New York. He was also fond of Johnny, the gang's pet and kid brother.

The sound of a car coming snapped Bri out of her thoughts. Anthony had pulled up in front of the house. Without a word, he got out of the car and stood next to her on the porch. For a moment, all Bri heard was the sound of their breathing. Then Anthony sighed loudly.

"Kiddo, I don't know what's gonna happen," he admitted dejectedly. "You heard last night, right? Those guys jumped Johnny. Well, at least their leader did. Their group was bigger than last time. The gang's awful mad about all this; Dally's really steamed. Two-Bit, Pony, and Johnny are real sorry they let it happen, even though it wasn't their fault. It was like a rumble was going on or something."

"Can't change the past," Bri said matter-of-factly. Her face betrayed no expression.

"Yeah, well, I'm not itching for it to happen again in the future," Anthony retorted sharply. "Dally'd gone over to the West side last night, jumped a few Socs, He beat them pretty badly. We're thinking that they were leftover from the Soc group that attacked ya'll. Bet we'll find out soon enough."

"What do you mean by that?" Bri turned to look at her brother. Anthony's face was bitter and hardened.

"You know by now," Anthony told her. "The ongoing fight between Socs and greasers ain't something you can ignore, 'specially when you're part of it. And now, we're part of it." He gave her an apologetic look. "You dig?"

Bri nodded slowly. "I guess things are getting rough for us."

Anthony groaned in exasperation. "I don't know why I keep draggin' ya along. You don't hafta hang with them. Greasers can get you in a whole lotta trouble."

"What?" Bri blinked, flabbergasted. "Anthony, you're like them too! Plus, I went with Johnny and Ponyboy on my own yesterday. Everything that's happened—it's all chance. I've just been in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"No." Anthony shook his head. "From now on, it won't be. The Socs are bound to know who you are. After what Dally did, they won't be treatin' ya nicely no more, even if ya look like them."

"So, you're saying I can't be around you guys anymore?" Bri asked incredulously. "Who cares what I look like? You're my brother, and Ponyboy, Johnny, Two-Bit and all the rest of them are my friends! I can't just cut it off with everyone, especially you."

"Hell, Bri," Anthony snapped. "Ya hardly talk to Darry or Dallas. Steve won't acknowledge you 'less I'm there. Two-Bit, Pony, and Soda are the only ones you get along swell with. And we all know you're afraid of Johnny, heaven knows why."

The last sentence stopped Bri short. It was true, what Anthony said. Everything of course, but especially about Johnny. As strange as it seemed, Bri _was_ scared of him. None of the gang had really understood it. Two-Bit had even joked around about it, like he does about everything. "How could anyone be afraid of Johnnycake?" he had asked, messing up Johnny's hair. But Bri didn't like the way Johnny was so fearful and suspicious. She'd hate to think about what someone would have to go through to end up like that. Bri would never ask about it. Anthony gave her a brief account of Johnny being attacked by the Socs, and that his parents were abusive, but that was all she knew. Bri thought that if she was around Johnny, eventually she'd come to know just how horrible his experiences had been. It was probably a stupid reason to be afraid. Bri wasn't very brave.

But she had just called Johnny her friend not thirty seconds ago. How could she be afraid of the same person she considered her friend? She and Johnny didn't have very much in common though, besides being quiet and being good friends with Ponyboy. Bri could get Ponyboy like Johnny could, but she just couldn't get Johnny, and vice versa. It was like there was a barrier that kept them from understanding each other.

"I'm not afraid of Johnny," Bri said firmly.

Anthony rolled his eyes. "Don't kid yourself, you're not fooling—"

"I'm not," she repeated. In a softer voice, she added, "We just…don't get each other very well. That's it."

Anthony cocked an eyebrow. Bri never spoke in that tone before. She always formed her words carefully, sometimes uncertainly. Now she was speaking with more conviction. Anthony wasn't sure if it was because Bri wanted to convince him, or convince herself.

"Alright, princess, whatever you say," he said, ruffling her hair. "Princess" was a nickname Aunt Sadie and Uncle Charles gave to Bri when she was younger. They hardly used it now, she had outgrown it.

Bri smiled. "So, what were you doing out so early in the morning? You missed Aunt Sadie's waffles." She laughed a little.

"Went to the Curtis'," Anthony said. "Asked if we could round up all the boys today. When Darry said yeah, I left to come and get you."

"And you had the gall to tell me I couldn't see them?" Bri inquired jokingly.

Anthony shrugged. "I was supposed to tell you that stuff afterward."

"You're hopeless," Bri said, playfully smacking her brother's shoulder.

* * *

><p>At the Curtis' house, Bri and Anthony were greeted by Sodapop and Steve, who were waiting in front. Steve gave Anthony a clap on the shoulder.<p>

"So, what was that ya'll wanted to tell us?" Steve asked.

"I'll tell you right now," Anthony said. He pointed inside. "Who's here?"

"Everyone but Dally," Sodapop explained.

Anthony nodded. The four of them walked inside and found Two-Bit on the couch watching cartoons, Ponyboy and Johnny quietly sitting on the floor, and Darry pacing back and forth across the living room. When Darry saw Anthony, he stopped and strode over to them.

"All right," he grunted. "What's so important?"

Without hesitation, Anthony replied, "I know who jumped Johnny and my sister."

Everyone's head turned to stare at Anthony, who hadn't even looked concerned. Ponyboy and Johnny glanced at each other. Two-Bit, Steve, and Sodapop were wide-eyed. Darry's expression didn't change. His only reaction to the statement was a simple, one-word question: "Who?"

"Robert Sheldon."

"Well," Two-Bit broke in. "What are we waiting for? Let's go get Dally and teach that Soc a lesson!"

"We can't," Steve argued. "The Socs will know to watch for us now that Dally went and caused trouble. Can't just go and jump them."

"So what do we do?" Ponyboy asked.

Before Anthony could open his mouth to answer, Bri spoke up. "We should just wait."

The gang blinked in shock; either because of what she said, or the fact that she had said anything at all. Bri continued, not waiting for a response. "What can we do? If we try and get back at them, the consequences are on us. They won't be coming back 'round these parts now, after what Dally pulled off. There can't be any more trouble. At least not from us. Plus, I know for a fact that if I keep my mouth shut, the Socs won't do anything to me. They can't afford to start anything now either."

Bri waited. Not a sound came from anyone, until Two-Bit came back to his sense and grinned childishly.

"Well, I'll be damned, little lady," he said brightly. "That was one heck of a speech ya got there."

"Bri," Anthony said slowly, "are you sure? I mean…you were the real victim of these guys. You and Johnny."

They all looked at Johnny then. He and Bri locked eyes and a mutual understand passed between them. If anything, this is what they had in common. But Bri was still frightened by Johnny's eyes, and she turned away. She nodded at Anthony.

"Okay," Anthony conceded. "I guess we'll hafta go with that." He exchanged a knowing glance with Darry. "There's still some stuff to go over though. But I can't tell Bri or Johnny; we'll have to go outside."

Bri watched as Anthony gave her an apologetic look, and she realized what he meant. She was going to have to stay alone with Johnny while the rest of them talked.

"Welup, it's time these two get to know each other," Two-Bit declared, pushing Bri and Johnny towards each other. "Let's go, Ponyboy." He ushered Ponyboy out the door and the rest of them followed suit.

After they left, Bri took a step away from Johnny, not looking at him at all. Johnny eyes her carefully, then he asked, "You really are afraid of me?"

Bri hesitated, but said quietly, "No." She started speaking quickly. "Well, I used to be. But now, I don't know now. Maybe?" The last word came out as more of a question than an answer.

"I ain't gonna hurt ya," Johnny told her softly.

"I know." She still didn't look at him.

"I'm sorry for, uh, snapping at you before," he apologized.

This time, Bri snuck a glance at Johnny's face. He almost looked guilty. Seeing him like that made Bri want to comfort him, and she momentarily forgot her fears.

"Oh…" she almost whispered. "That's all right."

Johnny sighed. He didn't know why he was trying to make Bri feel better; he'd rather have just stood there in silence. But, Johnny saw the way her face whitened when Anthony implied she had to stay alone with him, and he felt sorry. It wasn't until that moment did he believe she was actually scared of him. They never talked much (in fact, hardly at all) but Johnny was beginning to get curious about Bri.

"Why?" He voiced the question suddenly, catching Bri off guard. Then he added, "I mean, why were you afraid of me, and not Dally or Darry or anyone else?"

Bri pursed her lips. "Your…eyes."

Now Johnny was caught off guard. "My eyes?"

She nodded. "There's a lot of pain and hurt…" Bri trailed off, and her eyes widened as if she just realized she had spoken aloud. She bit her lip nervously and glanced at Johnny.

For a long moment, Johnny didn't have a response. His eyes scared her? She wasn't scared of him because he looked threatening; she was scared because he looked like he was suffering. He tried to think of something to say. Instead, Bri interrupted his thoughts with yet another surprising statement.

"I guess I shouldn't be scared at all," she began, "because you're my friend."

Johnny looked at her, startled. "I am?"

At first Bri didn't answer, which was a tad frustrating. Then she took a deep breath, and looked him in the eye. Her face broke into a genuine smile that showed her off perfect teeth. The change in her appearance shocked Johnny. Bri was sure good-looking when she smiled like that; not like the half-hearted smiles she'd use whenever he was around.

"Yeah," Bri told him. "You are."

Just then, the gang came inside through the front door. Bri's smile vanished instantly, replaced by her usual shy expression. Johnny almost wanted to tell her to smile again, just so he could see it, then Two-Bit came in and paused, giving Johnny and Bri a strange look.

"Ya'll are standing awful close," he pointed out.

Bri and Johnny looked at each other, and it surprised them how close their faces actually were. They hadn't noticed, but they had probably been slowly inching towards each other as they talked or something. Simultaneously, they took two steps back from each other, and Two-Bit started laughing. He walked over and gave Johnny a pat on the back.

"Guess you're getting along well now, huh Johnnycake?" Two-Bit teased, then turned to Bri. "See, little lady? Johnny ain't so bad. Ya know you two are more alike than ya think." He laughed crazily again and took a spot on the couch.

No one said anything, about that. They just looked at Two-Bit like he was a maniac, which he probably was, but it got both Bri and Johnny thinking. Maybe Two-Bit was right. Maybe they _were_ more alike than they thought.

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><p><strong>AN: Bad ending? 'Cause I think so.. There's been a lot of stuff I've been doing lately, so I apologize if this chapter isn't up to expectations. But on the bright side, Bri and Johnny are becoming closer, what with the events going on and Bri's confession that she thinks of Johnny as her friend, even if she was afraid of him before. We'll see soon enough how it all plays out in the story. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: All right! After about 18 days, I'm finally able to upload chapter five. Heehee. Sorry, I had it done, but I couldn't really figure out how to end it with sounding crappy. Oh well, I try. Hopefully it's all right. Enjoy!**

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><p>Johnny and Ponyboy were out in the lot, enjoying the day. The air was nice and the sun wasn't too hot. They smoked their cigarettes, sitting down contentedly. Ponyboy was cloud-watching, but Johnny was too busy thinking of something else, or rather, <em>someone<em> else.

Ever since that time when he and Bri had that conversation inside the Curtis' home, Johnny found himself thinking of her. It was strange for him, but he would spontaneously find himself thinking about her voice, her shyness, her smile. Especially her smile.

"Hey, Ponyboy?" Johnny asked. "How would you know if you like someone?"

Ponyboy looked at Johnny strangely. "Shoot, I dunno Johnny. Maybe Soda or Steve or anyone else in the gang could tell ya, but I wouldn't know. I've never liked anyone before." He paused, then added, "Why, you thinking you like someone?"

"No." Johnny's answer was too quick. Ponyboy raised an eyebrow skeptically, and Johnny sighed. "Okay. Maybe. I don't know."

"Well, who is it?" Ponyboy inquired, suddenly interested. "Do I know her?" Since Steve gave Johnny that talk about girls, Ponyboy was eager to know who Johnny could have a crush on. Was it a greaser girl? Could it be a Soc?

"Yeah, you know her," Johnny muttered.

"Is she a greasy girl? Does she go to our school?"

"Good Lord, Ponyboy, stop askin' questions!" Johnny nearly yelled, getting irritated.

"Describe her," Ponyboy insisted, ignoring Johnny's unusual outburst.

Johnny groaned in defeat. Describe Bri? It seemed easy enough, but Johnny didn't know where to start. He didn't want to give away her identity very easily either. "Um…she has long brown hair. She's not one of them greasy girls. I'm not sure what color her eyes are because she doesn't look at me very much. But she's pretty. Real pretty. She's nice too."

Ponyboy just nodded, to which Johnny was relieved. He didn't want to answer any more questions. He didn't think he even had a right to be liking Bri, if that made any sense. She wasn't like them; she was soft. Like, a fragile flower in the middle of a clump of tough weeds. Despite being around hoods, Bri somehow managed to retain her innocence to the dangers of the streets. Or maybe she was just good at acting it.

"Must be a good girl, then," Ponyboy decided, "if you can talk about her like that."

Johnny shrugged and tried to look indifferent. "Sure."

"Did you make a move yet?"

"What?" Johnny fell back in astonishment. Make a move? He'd never get the guts to do something like that. He wasn't like Dally or Two-Bit. Johnny didn't talk to girls at all, even Bri, until recently.

Johnny watched as Ponyboy laughed and said, "I was only joking, Johnnycake. But have you figured out whether or not she feels the same?"

Crestfallen, Johnny said, "She'd never like me that way."

"You never know," a new voice disagreed.

The two boys whirled around and saw Sodapop and Steve standing behind them. Johnny felt his face getting hot.

"How much did you hear?" he demanded.

"Oh, just enough," Soda told him, sitting down next to Johnny and putting his arm around him. "So, Johnny, who's your little lady?"

_Little lady, _thought Johnny. _Man, Soda, if you only knew how close you are to the truth._

As it turned out, Steve got to the truth much faster than Soda. In a serious tone, he looked at Johnny and asked, "Is it Bri?"

Johnny blinked at Steve in shock.

"Golly, look how big his eyes are!" Soda exclaimed, chuckling. He shook Johnny around the shoulders. "Is it really her?"

Johnny nodded mutely, not daring to say a word.

"This is somethin' big all right," Soda announced, getting up. "Come on, Steve, let's hurry and go tell the guys!" He and Steve ran off towards the Curtis' house.

For a moment, Johnny and Ponyboy sat there, stunned. Then Ponyboy nudged Johnny and said, "Hey, aren't Bri and Anthony swinging by today?"

Next thing they knew, they took off after Soda and Steve.

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><p>Everyone at the house—Anthony, Two-Bit, Darry, Bri, and Dally—sat around the living room entertaining themselves with whatever. It was after school, and Darry just got off work for the day, so they all decided to lounge around for a bit. Two-Bit eventually chose to start a conversation.<p>

"So, Anthony," he started, "what did ya'll do 'fore you was friends with us?"

Anthony exchanged a glance with Bri, then replied, "Well, we had friends from school o' course, but we mostly stayed around each other. 'Cept Friday nights and some weekends, where I'd hang with my pals. Bri would usually stay with a couple of her girl friends in the afternoons after school. She still does, just not as much anymore."

"Don't tell me ya'll would rather be with us greasers than you're old friends." Two-Bit mocked surprise.

"Shoot, Bri and I have always had just each other really," Anthony explained. "You guys are the closest thing we've got 'sides that."

Abruptly, Soda came busting through the front door, with Steve following up right behind him.

"Hey," Soda panted excitedly, "there's something we gotta tell ya'll!"

Dally jumped up. "The Socs?"

Soda shook his head, grinning. "Naw, it's a good thing. Our little boy Johnny has a crush!"

Dally's expression was complete and utter disbelief. Darry's eyebrow's rose. Bri tilted her head in interest. Anthony simply stared at Soda and Steve like they were nuts. But Two-Bit howled with laughter.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" Two-Bit inquired.

Steve walked over to Bri. "Sorry," he said, pushing her out the door, "but this has to be kept from you, little lady. Guys only." He winked at her.

As Bri stumbled out the door, she saw Ponyboy and Johnny running up towards the house. They stopped short in front of her.

"Did Soda and Steve just go in?" Ponyboy asked breathlessly. When Bri nodded, he and Johnny rushed inside and shut the door on their way in.

_Guess it's just me_, Bri thought. She pondered what the boys could be saying, who Johnny's crush was, and why she couldn't know. Just because Steve claimed it to be a "guy thing?" She pouted, thinking of the possibilities. It didn't make her feel good to be kept out of the loop.

A loud rustling sounded in the bushes. Bri jumped back, startled. It surely couldn't be a Soc, but better safe than sorry. The bushes rustled again, and Bri began cautiously walking toward the noise. Then she heard a soft whimper, which caught her by surprise. The whimper turned into a quiet bark. Bri hurried over to the bushes to get a closer look.

In the bush was a tiny puppy, its leg tangled within the plant. Bri vaguely wondered how such a little creature could get stuck. It was very young, by the looks of it; she could easily scoop it up with one arm.

"Shh…" Bri tried to calm it down. "It's okay, I'm just going to get you free, all right?"

The puppy struggled at first. Talking couldn't settle it down, so Bri decided to sing. It worked well enough, and puppy stopped squirming, it's ear twitching to focus on the sound of the melody she was singing. As carefully as she could, Bri removed the puppy's hind leg from the bush. The puppy tentatively stretched its leg out, then gave Bri's hand a friendly lick. Bri laughed.

"You're a friendly little fella, aren't ya?" She petted the puppy's head. It relaxed to her touch, but the front door swung open suddenly, startling it and causing it to retreat back into the bushes.

"Hey!" Definitely Two-Bit's voice. "Where's Bri?"

Bri turned around, and Two-Bit caught sight of her. She saw that Dally had come out with him too. They both made their way over. Two-Bit looped his arm through hers as if escorting her, and Dally slung an arm around her small shoulders.

"Ya know, little lady," Dally began, and unusually amiable smile playing on his lips, "I used to think ya'll wouldn't last so long with us, but now I guess yer alright, eh?"

Bri didn't answer. _What's with Dally? _she wondered. She looked at Two-Bit for help, but he was just grinning at her like a madman. These guys were starting to worry her. They brought her inside again and forced her to sit down on the couch. Steve had Johnny in a headlock and Soda clapped Johnny on the back. Bri caught Ponyboy's eyes and he shrugged helplessly as if to say, "Sorry about this."

Anthony took a seat on the couch next to his sister and leaned back with a crazy smile on his face. When Bri rose her eyebrows questioningly, he just shrugged and chuckled to himself. For a while he just chatted with Two-Bit, but the hours seemed to pass by real quick and he decided that he and Bri should head home. Their house wouldn't take too long to get to if they walked. They left the Curtis' after saying goodbye to everyone. Once they got down the street Bri stopped and gave her brother a look.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"What was that all about?" Bri huffed.

"Nup, I can't tell you," Anthony teased, shaking his head. Bri wasn't supposed to know any of what they talked about. At least, not yet. It sort of came as a surprise when Soda and Steve had said that Johnny liked Bri, but it made sense. Johnny's type definitely weren't the tough greaser girls, and Bri was one of the only girls he'd ever come into contact with, besides girls from school maybe. Anthony could definitely imagine his sister returning the feelings. Lately she'd been more at ease with Johnny. Two-Bit seemed bent on getting the two together, since they all knew both Bri and Johnny were too shy to initiate anything. Dally thought it was a good thing too, Johnny being interested in a girl and all. Bri didn't know, but Dally took a liking to her, even if he never talked to her much. "Yer sis is a tuff girl," he'd told Anthony once. "Shy, but she ain't so bad." Darry didn't comment much on the situation, other than wishing Johnny luck with everything. Ponyboy was quiet as usual, but Two-Bit wanted to use Pony to get Bri and Johnny closer, because usually it was them three that hung out together.

Bri rolled her eyes. Before she could respond, she felt something furry brush against her ankle. Her eyes went down and she saw the small puppy she had helped a few hours ago. In the shadows of the bushes, she couldn't see it very well, but now she saw that its coat was smooth, matted with dirt, and mostly white with light tan splotches. A tan spot fell over its left eye. It stared up at her.

"Aww," Bri cooed, picking up the puppy and holding it in her arms. "You followed me?"

"Whose is that?" Anthony asked, taking a look at the little dog.

Bri scratched at the puppy's neck, noting the absence of a collar. "I think he's a stray."

Anthony scratched the back of his head. "How'd you know it's a boy?"

"…Anthony, it's pretty obvious."

"Oh."

A sudden idea dawned on Bri, and she became excited. "Think Aunt Sadie and Uncle Charles will let us keep him?"

"I don't know, Bri," Anthony said, scrunching his eyebrows.

"We gotta try!" Bri insisted. She held out the puppy to Anthony's face. The puppy licked his nose and Anthony stepped back, making a startled noise. Bri laughed and scratched the puppy's head.

"All right," Anthony conceded. "A little dog for a little lady."

They finished walking home, Bri carrying the puppy all the way, not caring about getting herself dirty. She was too absorbed in fawning over the puppy, much to Anthony's exasperation. Aunt Sadie and Uncle Charles were surprised when Bri brought the dog home, but after some pleading, they gave in. Bri never asked for anything, and although keeping a dog would require some work, they agreed to it. When they finished dinner, Uncle Charles took a look at the puppy to be sure it was healthy. Turns out it was just a little battered up. Bri went to go wash the dog in the tub after Uncle Charles finished his "check-up."

"That's one fine-looking Jack Russell," Uncle Charles commented as Bri towel-dried the dog. "Where'd you get to picking him up on the streets?"

"He's a Jack Russell Terrier?" Aunt Sadie asked him. "I thought those were long-haired."

"Yup. No doubt about it," Uncle Charles said. "He's got one of them smooth coats instead of the scruffy kind."

Anthony patted the dog's head as Bri held it, and he realized something. "He doesn't have a name yet, does he?"

"Bri should choose a name," Aunt Sadie suggested. "She's the one who found him after all."

Bri thought for a moment, tapping her chin with her forefinger. It was a habit she developed at an early age. "Max," she decided. "He doesn't need a fancy name or none."

"Simple enough," Anthony agreed. "Now you can remember it."

Bri reached over to smack Anthony on the head, but he dodged her hand easily. Unfortunately, he hit his elbow on the side of the tub and clutched it in pain as Bri laughed. In that bit of excitement, Max started barking enthusiastically and wagging his tail.

"All right, you two, that's enough," Aunt Sadie warned. "Calm down a bit before someone gets hurt. I think it's time you both get to bed."

Bri and Anthony got up and headed to their rooms. As expected, Max followed Bri and when she got into bed, he began pawing at the edge of her mattress.

"Oh, come here you silly little dog," she said, scooping him up and plopping him on her covers. Max padded around for a bit, then curled up at the foot of the bed. Laughing to herself, Bri lay down again._ It has been one interesting day, _she thought sleepily.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There you have it. Okay, yes, I know, there's no action, but trust me, I'm getting to that. Chapter 6 is up and ready, but depending on the demand, or lack thereof, I'm still choosing when to post it. 'Kay, till next time, then.**


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